Welcome to the W.D. Colledge Blog

Did you know that ice that's being used for consumption in drinks or meal prep is considered food and must be treated as such? It's important that government regulations on ice are followed to avoid bacterial growth and customer illness. Therefore, keeping your ice machine and storage unit spotless must be a major consideration to ensure ice remains safe. 

According to Waste Reduction Week, around 58% of food produced in Canada is wasted or lost every year. This percentage equates to 35.5 million tonnes lost, which costs the Canadian economy $49 billion per year. Food waste is defined as food that is prepared, manufactured, processed, harvested, or grown for human consumption, but never eaten. Since food waste in Canada occurs at all supply chain stages in all countries around the world, it results in an overuse of natural resources, an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, and the inability to feed the hungry. This is a major problem considering one in seven Canadians suffer from food insecurity, according to Impact Canada.

When our chefs aren't in the W.D. Colledge test kitchen experimenting with new flavour combinations, or dressing up in silly costumes, they are preparing incredible meals at home. During the holiday season, these dishes are more than just a dinner, they bring family together to celebrate traditions. Our chefs were nice enough to share some of their favourite holiday recipes. We hope you'll try a few of these next holiday season!

Did you know that 90% of all dishes found on commercial foodservice industry menus globally can be prepared using a combi oven? Combi ovens are widely used to cook millions of meals every day. Whether it’s a school cafeteria, hotel, or resort banqueting service, these three-in-one ovens are some of the most versatile pieces of equipment in any commercial kitchen setup.  Let’s look at how a combi oven works, why you might need it, and why now is the right time to use it.

Steam cooking is known to have originated in the far east in the Yellow River Valley of China going back to the year 5000 BC. The ancient Chinese had discovered the many health and other benefits of steam cooking and so this method of cooking has been passed down from generation to generation. In modern times, steam cooking has been recognized around the world for producing great-tasting food that is both healthy, flavourful, and profitable.

Let's examine the many benefits of steam cooking, including how it helps improve food quality, increase nutritious values of foods, and streamline your cooking processes.

One of the biggest and hottest trends in the foodservice industry is a move towards smaller kitchens and larger seating areas. As business owners and operators search for creative ways to increase sales and profits, one of the hottest products in the industry is ventless cooking equipment.

The COVID—19 pandemic has changed how we live our lives, including how we dine out in Canada. While takeout and delivery soared during the pandemic, dining in options only just recently began to crawl back to normalcy. But there's a new normal, and restaurant operators are learning to change and adapt to this post-pandemic dining world.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we do business, especially in foodservice. The restaurant industry has seen more changes than just about any other business because of local and national health regulations. Operations underwent a shift towards takeout and delivery to recoup some of the revenue they have lost due to closures and limited seating.

The right brush matters. In fact, when you look at what brushes impact in commercial kitchens, they’re actually critical. Personal hygiene, cross-contamination, physical contamination, and biological contamination are all real issues in foodservice operations across Canada, and the right kit of brushes can help keep these factors positive.

Any Jays fans in the house? We have a few in ours, but whether you're a supporter of the Toronto Blue Jays or the L.A. Dodgers, you have to admit a baseball bat can cause damage on any object it strikes.

So what did we do? We took it to one of our favourite pieces of foodservice equipment.